Okay, the headline-writer should take some of the blame... who would read a story with that kind of turn-off headline?
The story is about a "photo-book" titled The Human Face of Big Data, by American photographer, Rick Smolan. The book's stories and photographs taken by 100 lensmen in 30 countries tackle the world of "big data" -- the vast amount of information collected by satellites, smartphones and other sensors.
The segment I found intriguing is this one: How a Swiss scientist working in Singapore unravelled the mystery of why Singaporeans can never find taxis in a thunderstorm -- when they really, really need one.
Here's why, as explained by Mr Smolan and as reported by Ms Nanda...
So that's it... the taxi drivers would rather wait out a storm than risk getting into an accident and the attendant salary-penalty redtape that would be triggered!
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I have another observation about taxis here, which I wonder if other road users share. First, here's Exhibit A:
This taxi model is a Hyundai Sonata Diesel (CRDi). Its two-litre engine is also turbo-charged, which gives the vehicle a lot of power -- to accelerate and to speed. I have encountered cabbies in Hyundai Sonatas who will race me to a two-lane-converging-into-one. And I drive a manual-shift Suzuki Swift Sport, no laggard either.
Just the other day, along single-lane dual-carriageway Hume Avenue, the bus I was in had just pulled out of the bus-stop and was approaching the nearby zebra-striped crossing. The impatient Sonata taxi driver behind decided to hit his engine's turbo and dangerously overtook the bus without regard for any pedestrian that might have been poised to use the crossing.
So my question is: Is it necessary to have such taxis with powerful engines? As it is, the slow-of-pace Toyota Crowns and Nissan Cedrics are notorious for bad habits like stopping or pulling out suddenly. But they can't race on the roads. The Sonatas can.
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Last taxi story. It seems hard to believe that such an incident can happen here... straight out of a gangland movie scene:
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